Breitling’s Navitimer packs a new aesthetic, and a new heart

The watch that pilots have been wearing since 1952

A split-second chronograph by Breitling might not seem like a huge novelty at first, because the split-second chronograph, or rattrapante (pronounced rat-ra-pont) movement, has been sitting in the rarefied vault of grand complications for a while. The Navitimer Rattrapante is, however, the first to feature one made entirely in-house from Breitling – overlord of aviation-based timekeeping.

For the uninitiated, it must be stated that the Navitimer is by no means a nautical watch. There might be an anchor in Breitling’s logo, but the brand’s gaze has rarely wavered from the skies. The word is actually a portmanteau of “navigation” and “timer”, coined in 1952 when the first Navitimer was introduced to the world. Suffice it to say that pilots have sworn by it ever since.

Although Breitling has created this complication for its timepieces in the past, the movement itself was outsourced. This time, Breitling’s done it on its own. The rattrapante movement in the Navitimer is distinguished by dual second hands that exist to time two events simultaneously. Originally created in the 19th century, the complication was only fit into a wristwatch by the Thirties.

The red hand on this new Navitimer starts and stops via the pushers flanking the crown, while the split-seconds hand is operated by a pusher conveniently housed within the crown. For an added flourish, Breitling has placed the two key elements of its logo – the “B” and the anchor – separately, at the end of each hand, with the two forming a whole only when they converge at the 12 o’clock mark.

The design of this watch is otherwise unmistakably classic – the slide rule running along the inner edge of the dial isn’t even a necessity for pilots any more – but its all-new movement gives it the sort of classic-contemporary balance that should pique the interests of aviators the world over.